Oh, autumn, how I love thee!

This time of year makes me want to break out all the yummy fall recipes that make us feel warm and cozy inside.

And this autumn recipe is a wonderful way to spend a chilly fall evening — Baked Stuffed Squash with Beef, Black Beans and Chili Seasonings.

Anything baked at this time of year is absolutely perfect to me. And baked beef? Perfecto!!!

This one comes to us from SouthernFood.About.com’s “Top 15 Fall Recipes” collection. Click here to peruse it and find other yummy fall fare like pork loin, sweet and tart pot roast and beef stew with red wine.

Try them all and you’ll be covered this fall!

Photo courtesy of Diana Rattray via About.com.

This is a QUICK recipe from The I Hate to Cook Book.

The title is hilarious.

It’s simple and anyone could do this for an easy, flavorful meal in a hurry.

Nice. Me likey.

Sweep Steak

Recipe adapted from The I Hate to Cook Book

Makes 4 to 6 servings

• 2- to 3-pound steak or pot roast

• Two 1-ounce packets of French onion soup mix

Preheat the oven to 300°. Place the meat in the center of a

large sheet of aluminum foil and sprinkle it with the onion soup

mixture. Fold the foil around the meat so that it is

completely enclosed, and place it in a baking pan. Cook the

meat for 3 hours, until it’s tender, then slice and serve.

With kids and sports and homework and laundry and work and various and sundry other activities, it’s hard to sit down to a yummy meal during the week.

Or maybe I’m just projecting my life onto yours.

Either way, this sounds like the best of all worlds – try it!

Photo courtesy of ScooterM.blogspot.com.

Recipe from The I Hate to Cook Book via TastingTable.com.

Super Chef Sandy is back today with a truly timely recipe chock-full of money- and time-saving tips.

It involves beef. Need I say more?

Does she rock or what?

Check it out . . .

Seems everywhere you go, from every corner of the Internet, newspaper and even at the local coffee shop people are talking about cutting back.  It’s enough to make you crazy, even if the downturn hasn’t hit you personally.  I was reading some magazines at the dentist’s office today and even some of the movie stars interviewed said they are cooking at home more and eating out less. 

What are you doing to reduce your food budget?  Seems many more people are cooking at home, and one of the questions I often get asked is how people can make their budget stretch farther and reduce the time and effort to cook meals.  And have some variety. 

4 days ago we had pot roast for dinner.  It was fabulous.  Two nights ago we had strip steaks, and they were delicious too.  We do enjoy our beef, but we had leftovers of both, not enough for a meal composed of either.  Rather than have an arm wrestling match over who gets what, or going out for takeout, here’s what I did:

Enchilada Steak Pie

About 1 pound of beef, cooked and chopped

1 cup enchilada sauce (your favorite jarred enchilada sauce)

1 cup leftover gravy (or just use more enchilada sauce)

1 cup frozen corn

1 fresh tomato, chopped

1 cup shredded Mexican cheese, mixed (I used 2% milk Kraft cheese), divided

1 package cornbread mix

1 egg (separate white from yolk)

1 egg white

½ cup milk

1 cup tortilla chips, crushed

Preheat oven to 400. Spray non-stick cooking spray onto sides of deep casserole dish or glass baking dish, then add beef, gravy (if desired), sauce and vegetables as desired.  Stir and top beef mixture with cheese.  Place meat mixture in oven while you prepare the cornbread (below) to get the meat and the dish hot. 

In a separate bowl, beat 2 egg whites until stiff peaks form.  In a small bowl, mix dry cornbread mix, egg yolk, milk and ½ cup cheese until combined.  You may add an additional 1 cup of vegetable to the cornbread mix, such as diced zucchini, more frozen corn, diced tomatoes or peppers for color.  Stir in ½ of beaten egg whites to lighten the mixture, and then gently fold in the remaining egg whites.  Gently spread this cornbread mixture over the meat mixture.

Bake for 15 minutes until cornbread is solid on top and beginning to brown.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with crushed chips and additional cheese.  Return to oven and bake until cornbread is cooked through, about an additional 10 minutes.

Serve with a green salad, maybe with some chopped avocado and tomato and a simple vinaigrette, some chips and hot sauce and voila — dinner (again!)

To make this meal even faster to put together, assemble all of the base ingredients the night before (as you clean up,) and just prepare the cornbread right before serving.  Prepare your salad while the casserole cooks and you will still have time to enjoy a cerveza or margarita while your family’s dinner cooks itself in the oven.  Don’t you just love casseroles?

So go ahead and enjoy cooking your favorite meals, especially when you can be creative and repurpose your protein.  Even those of you who claim not to like leftovers will be hard pressed to recognize them when they are so well disguised!  Who can argue with saving money and time in this day and age?